Washington Women's Wrestling

The Third Dukes · June 15, 2005

March 1, 2005

"IWA:MS have made a counter-offer... WXW have made a counter-offer... UPW have made a counter-offer..."

Two weeks before Madness, and I had sent out the lastest contract proposals to a new crop of women -- some of whom, frankly, I'd been trying to get for ages now. Every time I'd send it out to someone working for another major organization, that organization would fire back with a counter-offer. Terms, of course, were not disclosed, because that would make my life easier.

I couldn't figure out why this was such a big deal. Okay, that's a bit of a lie. WXW I understood. Hell, after one show we got Amber and all the others bragging about how good we are. Krissy jumped without a second thought. Can you imagine how much trouble we'd be in if their women's division became ours? Especially since we're the bigger name thanks to all the cheap pub we get from the women's rights groups.

That reminds me, I might want to keep RoH marks away from the NOW people next time. They didn't seem to get along.

Even so, for all of WXW's reasonable protestations, it was the rest that bothered me, particularly the Mid-South boys. If the IWA felt threatened by what I was doing, I was either getting too aggressive or too popular. And it probably wasn't the latter -- Mid-South easily outdraws us 2 to 1. At least.

I needed to get to the bottom of this.

*****

PHONE TRANSCRIPT

(printable version)

"Hey, is this Ian?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"This is Andy Goss over in Washington."

"Oh, what's up?"

"Nothin' right now... man, I'm just wonderin' about something. Why you keep trying to keep your girls away from me?"

"Whaddya mean by that?"

"I mean that I've put in all sorts of contract offers, and the very next day I find out you up their salary. Am I just a bargaining chip to them or something?"

"No, no, it's more than that. See, I... well, I don't know what type o' owner you are, but Afa's been talking 'bout ya."

"Has he? What, he complainin' that we're greener pastures already?"

"Yeah yeah, keep it up, Leno. Look, he thinks you're just tryin' to corner the market on women's wrestlin'."

"Corner the-- hey, he got his talent back to work weekly TV shows when we're not runnin' the TJ bits, right?"

"Yeah, he did. I told him that. But the guy's not too happy. He wants to make sure that these girls get treated right, ya know?"

"Well, that's him explained. And I understand him. But what about you? You buy that?"

"Nah... I don't."

"Then what's your excuse?"

"Ya wanna know the truth? I heard Vinnie was wantin' to start up the women's division again on RAW. Needed some more talent, what with Coates and Phoenix gettin' full-time deals."

"Yeah, I know all about those. I triggered them... kinda."

"You got a lot to learn about Vinnie, kid. You didn't start nothin' he didn't already wanna do. But look -- our girls are under the radar right now in Mid-South. I mean, the hardcore guys, they know all about Mickie and Chif, ya know? But most people don't. And the big one who don't is Vinnie, right?"

"Ian, c'mon. I'm not that big a deal. No way would I be able to compete with Mr. Mc--"

"I know you ain't gonna, and that's the whole point. But you... hey, I read the newswire. You think I don't know how Danger's on Vinnie's radar? Why do ya think she went down in Chikara, kid? Cuz Quacky freaked out and thought she'd be a spy."

"...really?"

"Yeah. Wouldn't surprise me if the same thing's goin' on here. I gotta pay these girls more -- the only way they'd work for me."

"Look -- Ian, think about it. Why would Vince do this kind of industrial espionage and risk the feds being on his ass all over again? He doesn't need it -- he's got the cash. I don't. If he wanted to, he could snap all my girls up for a drop in the bucket compared to what he pays Batista or Cena even -- and those guys are on sweet deals for him!"

"Kid, I feel ya. I really do. But I ain't gonna lie. There's a lotta people out there who don't want women to be bimbos. I'm tellin ya, ya got some big supporters out there. But we can't risk it. You're in Washington, and that's right near Stamford. Why do ya think the Ring of Honor guys keep disappearing under the big E?"

"What, like Paul London and Spanky -- who were trained by the WWE's big star? Ian, you're crazy, you know that?"

"Not crazy enough, kid. Vince is talkin' about puttin' ECW back together. Already askin' me to show up. I don't want nothin' to do with it and I made that clear. But he offered a lot to do it. And if he wants opponents for Trish, he'll get 'em."

"Well, then... what should I do?"

"Hey... use who ya got. Ya got some girls from overseas -- they're your top ring generals. Make 'em count. Ya got Desire -- strike while that iron's hot, kid, cuz I know the E will want her. Ya even got Corino's girls -- it's not like your base right now ain't solid. Use who ya got. C'mon."

"You c'mon, Ian. Your champ right now is also in Ring of Honor. You tellin' me you ain't scared of losing him?"

"He's not the WWE type."

"And women who wrestle ARE? Does the Diva Search mean anything to you?"

"I know, I know... but I don't buy it. All I know is, I don't wanna lose my star pupil to that bastard."

"So you don't trust me because you don't trust him? What's my name?"

"Ain't that easy. Look, I'll see what I can do, but... I'm not sure this can work. Sorry."

*****

I slammed the phone down in disgust. That man's everywhere. He's gotten into Ian's head already. He's gotten into everyone's head. They're all convinced, based on... for all I can tell, based on one Dr. Tom article on the dot-com... that he wants more women's talent. Is he working them again?

I quickly called the Corino place.

*****

"Alison," I said, uncertain how to approach this, "I, uh... I just spoke with Ian Rotten over in Mid-South."

"Oh, really -- is he gonna give us Mickie Knuckles?"

"Not yet. And... he said a few things."

"Oh? What sort of things?"

Might as well just say it. "He told what went down over in Chikara. About how Quack and Hero thought you were a mole and on Vince's dollar. I just wanna let you know that I think that's garbage, Ali."

"You're telling me. Those fuckers are so paranoid."

"Well, it isn't just them. See, the... Ian told me Vince is throwing checks around like nuts. Talked to him and Axl about bringing in Bad Breed for some ECW reunion."

"Yeah, I know, Steve got the same thing."

"And... I'll be honest with you, Ali. If Vince opens the checkbook and can outbid me, I'll hold no hard feelings. I'll even set up a little goodbye for ya. Cool?"

"Well, thanks, but... Vince hasn't talked to me. In fact, Steve even asked about me and Lusc... er, Ronnie on the phone. No interest."

"Huh... then maybe Ian's worked up over nothing."

"It's possible... but Vince will do that."

Apparently so.

*****

We didn't have any new signings yet with the show just two weeks away, but I wasn't worried. At this point, I understood why I had to pay top dollar to the indy talent to get them to show up. I understood why I was 7 grand in the hole, and that the odds I'd dig out were pretty small. That's actually what hurt a little.

I wanted this to succeed. It was my baby. But I knew I was going up against greater odds than seemed surmountable. It would be a lottery win to make anything out of this -- except, maybe, for yet another small-time fed. To even achieve the status of the Quebec feds would be a pipe dream.

Then again, have I already succeeded? Is it possible that by just doing this -- just bringing a serious organization to the forefront like this -- I had done something no one thought possible? Oh, I hope so. It would be wonderful to be able to look in the mirror and say I changed the indy scene as we know it -- for the better. If I could leave an imprint, what a miracle that would be.

But with Ian and the others scared of my East Coast location... and of Vince's random ranting through WWE.com... how could I succeed? Was this enough?

Commander Sheepard · June 15, 2005

At least it's not ANOTHER freakin' ECW diary.

Well, I was waiting to see a show before I made a real comment on it, and now that I have, I can say that this one will be one I'll be watching in the future. Not only the in-ring product, but the possibility for some intriguing backstage stuff makes me want to see how things go from here on.

It's hard to get a real feel for the promotion yet, as I'm not familiar with many (or ANY) of the women you have on your roster. I CAN tell you that Sakura Hirota=money, though. Though I've never seen her, I have this picture in my head of someone acting like that, and I could definitely see that, and HER, getting over. The format's fine, though I'm one of those who still likes to see the games ratings for the matches and segment. Maybe at the end, along with the results? Or not, either way, of course your choice.

As was said, this is probably the most ideal type of diary you could have chosen to distance yourself from the BVS universe. It lets you do something a little different for yourself, and a little different from what you see on the boards nowadays. See my comment above about ECW diaries. I truly do hope you continue this one on for a while, as the possibilities are, as mentioned before, very intriguing. good stuff Dukes.

(Y)

Troy Maskell · June 15, 2005

I must confess to being dissapointed. Either with this update or the diary writer.

After all. What's a women's wrestling diary without my beloved Madison? A CRAPPY ONE THAT'S WHAT! :angry: :shifty:

The Third Dukes · June 16, 2005

I must confess to being dissapointed. Either with this update or the diary writer.

After all. What's a women's wrestling diary without my beloved Madison? A CRAPPY ONE THAT'S WHAT!

←

Troy Maskell · June 16, 2005

I must confess to being dissapointed. Either with this update or the diary writer.

After all. What's a women's wrestling diary without my beloved Madison? A CRAPPY ONE THAT'S WHAT!

←

She's not in the RXTEW update I'm using. Go yell at Phil.

←

The Third Dukes · June 18, 2005

March 7, 2005

As I checked my emails, I got one in particular that caused me to go mad. It was from Carlos Colon, informing me that he was going to use Stacy and Genesis for his show on the 13th -- the same day we were running. Even with our afternoon start, there was no way I could get them to the airport in time. Damn.

*****

MADNESS

Final Card

* "Simply Luscious" Ronnie Stevens vs. Sumie Sakai

* Team Blondage vs. Nikki French and Cindy Rogers

* Jessie Bell vs. Alere Little Feather

* Poubelle Twins vs. Rie Tamada and Tomoko Watanabe

* Mary Apache vs. "Jungle Grrl" Erica Porter

PLUS Kim "Desire" Neilson, Valentina, Allison Corino, and MORE!

NOTE: 3WWrestling apologizes for the unavailability of Stacy Colon and Genesis, as they are performing for Stacy's father's promotion in Puerto Rico. Attempts will be made to prevent this conflict of interest from happening often.

LUKIE · June 18, 2005

Wow. You went full on with the shows. I only know the Joshi girls, but Uraken gets the 5* in my book. I love that move!

rolling reverse cradle into a bridge = Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold

Just thought I would add that little bit in

The Third Dukes · June 23, 2005

March 13, 2005

I took one last look at the booking sheet for the day's show. Everything was in place. The opening fireworks, the big four-way angle, the tournament brackets... all I needed was for the people to show up and like it. Unfortunately, early estimates were that there would be no difference between this month's attendance and last month's, thus dooming me to another $7K in the red. I needed a cash injection, and fast.

At the very least, most of the talent was excited. After the first show got good crowd reactions, we were hoping to build on it here. But without the Boricuas in attendance, the haphazard nature of the card worried me. Fortunately, I was the only one.

I was ready to call the matches solo this time, hoping I could do a better job than that DJ did. After warming up the crowd and going over the particular rules, we were ready to begin. With that, the following contest...

*****

3-W MADNESS!

Hour #1

Match #1: Alere Little Feather vs. Jessie Bell

Yiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyi, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi! The war cry of Tatanka got the crowd to their feet as Alere Little Feather did a stately walk from the back, heading to the ring. She saluted each of the four corners before waiting for her opponent. "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" by Travis Tritt (the subtlety boggles the mind, I know) brought out Jessie Bell. As if her actions last month left room for doubt about her insincerity, the music sure didn't. I commented on the DVD recording about how she was likely fabricating her story of people being upset with Cindy Rogers.

Alere started off strongly in the match, hitting the armdrags and chops on Bell. As Bell went outside for a breather and to jaw with the crowd, Alere followed, keeping the pressure up. She rolled Bell back in and continued striking the arm as I pointed out that she has been known to use a UFC armbar to defeat opponents in the past. However, Bell slipped out and managed to get a suplex on Alere, scoring a two-count.

The heat segment was a bit of a car wreck, as Bell was clearly not used to going more than 3-4 minutes in her matches and was being asked to step up here. She'd first work one body part, then another, then hit a chinlock before getting a slam. I even mentioned how Bell's offense seemed a little scattershot on commentary. Hey, I'm not afraid to play up someone as being inexperienced if it fits the story of the match. Fortunately, as time on the match wound down, Bell remembered to open the door for a comeback and put her head down. Alere scored a DDT and popped up, going on the warpath.

The rest was easy pickings, as Alere chopped away and backed Bell into the corner, keeping her there with what I assume was supposed to resemble a Stinger Splash. Jeez, she jumps like some of the girls I played hoops against in the gym. She quickly stepped outside and to the top rope, grabbing Bell and hitting the Aleredust out of the corner. After that, it was an easy win.

#1: Alere Little Feather defeated Jessie Bell with the Aleredust (7:58).

As the participants left, I warmed up the crowd some more by reminding them that later today we would have the announcement of the format for the 3-W World Title tournament. Yes, I was gutsy enough to call it a world title. Why not? Heavyweight just sounded wrong, and Women's sounded redundant. You got any ideas?

Anyway, as I was talking, Team Blondage entered from the back. Amber took the mic right out of my hands as she and Krissy Vaine sneered at the crowd. "Listen up, bro. We came here bein' told that our opponents tonight decided to take the easy way out and swim back to whatever vista they're from. Well, señoritas, you can run, but you really can't hide from us. At some point, we will meet, and when we do, I will show you just why Team Blondage is the greatest tag team in women's wrestling today. So this goes to anyone who thinks they can take us. Come on out and face our wrath!"

Amazingly, the crowd began chanting for Apache to come out, interested in seeing a rematch from the previous show. Instead, their scheduled opponents, Nikki French and Cindy Rogers, emerged from the back. And we were ready.

Match #2: Team Blondage vs. Nikki French and Cindy Rogers

All things considered, this was a huge disappointment. Rogers and French were not over with the crowd to the degree O'Neal and Vaine were, not to mention there was little chemistry between the two. While French was able to maintain control when she was in the ring, she and Rogers botched their first double-team, nearly crippling Vaine with a double suplex. O'Neal tagged herself in as Vaine cleared the cobwebs, working over Rogers in the corner. When Vaine recovered, she and O'Neal continued the double-teaming, building the heat on French... ok, TRYING to build heat on French.

Like I said, there was nothing technically wrong with this match -- it just bored the crowd. I think part of it is that no one buys Rogers as a biker chick -- she's too small for the role and doesn't have enough tats. So when she got the hot tag and acted like a bully, it just didn't work. Thankfully, the finish was around the corner, as was Bell, whom astute viewers would have noticed didn't leave. Instead, she hid in the crowd, awaiting her turn. This was it.

Rogers was setting Vaine up for a sidewalk slam when Bell appeared at ringside. Rogers dropped Vaine and went to yell at Bell, clearly saying "I'm done with you!" Of course, this allowed Vaine the chance to recover as Rogers charged. Vaine got up a head of steam, and Rogers was levelled with a lariat, even doing a 180 mid-air sell and landing on her face. Vaine rolled her over and covered for the pin.

#2: Team Blondage defeated Cindy Rogers and Nikki French when Krissy Vaine pinned Rogers with a lariat (8:31).

Bell entered the ring as Blondage walked to the back. "Hey -- Hey Cindy -- you see that? That's what I'm talking about. You and your partner couldn't get along. Where was she to keep you from losing, huh? You know what? Maybe you're thick-headed or something, but I'm tellin' ya, no one wants you here. So what are you gonna do about it, huh?"

With that, Rogers glared at Bell and charged. The two rolled around on the mat, doing something vaguely resembling a catfight, as the crowd seemed disappointed. A few random bodies we hired for the night tried to separate them, but really, we were playing this as a much bigger deal than it was to the crowd. Remember when Triple H and Kevin Nash brawled while JR sold it as a huge encounter and the fans didn't care? That's what I'm talking about here. Just nothing to see here.

With the audience flatlining, I knew something big had to happen next. Fortunately, I had timed it just right. Alison Corino, as of now sans a match, was on her way to the ring. The Ring of Honor fans cheered her, while the casual fans booed. Geez, what is with these ROH people? Why don't they play by the same rules as the rest of us??

"Kim, Kim, Kim... you poor, demented girl. Do you think you've won? Do you think you're the best? Oh no, girl... you're just the best-known. You're just the one everyone's familiar with. Well, get this -- it's not my DESIRE to see you as the top woman in 3-W, and it sure isn't the desire of any other promotion in America. I am the star of this company. I'm the one you should be bowing down to, and begging to have the title on. When the time comes, girl, you're going to be left out in the cold. I'm more than ready to take you down right now. In fact, why don't you come on out here and we can do this right here, right now?"

The crowd cheered at the prospect. However, they were to be sorely disappointed. Instead of Desire, a different woman emerged from the back -- this one in a police officer's outfit. She entered the ring and produced a pair of handcuffs.

"Hey, what's this? Who are you?"

"My name is Karen Mercy. I represent the Fairfax County Police Department, and I'm here to take you downtown on charges of trespassing and assault."

"What? Assault? How?"

"Last time we were here, you entered the ring illegally and attacked a 3-W employee in Miss Kim Neilson. Doing so caused you to violate the terms of agreement as stated on your ticket. Therefore, I am well within my rights to have you arrested right now."

The crowd cheered as Corino panicked. "Wait, wait... you can't do that! I... I was cleared, really! Ya gotta believe me! You! You know this! Come in here and set it straight!" As she frantically asked for backup, she pointed at me. "C'mon, announcer guy... you know I was hired to work here! Didn't you see the papers before the show?" I love shoot comments that aren't meant to be shoot comments.

I entered the ring and confronted Mercy. "Officer Mercy, I'm sorry, but... she's legitimately a part of 3-W, and as such, I can't let you arrest her. Washington Women's Wrestling does not want to press charges against Alison Corino, so... really, there's no need for you to be here."

Mercy thought about it before replying. "Actually, there is. You see, I'm under contract to work security for 3-W. And as such, I gotta make sure people who jump the rail get punished. I can't go back to my superior saying I did nothing, can I?"

I began to think. "You know, I have an idea. You" -- Mercy -- "want to punish her for jumping the rail. And you" -- Corino -- "want to earn your pay tonight, right? Well, I say we settle this the way wrestling's been settling it for decades -- the two of you, in the ring, with a match. How's that for a compromise?"

Corino: "Sounds perfect to me."

Mercy: "Anything for a fight."

"All right, then," I said, turning to referee Tanya Armstrong, "I guess it's official. Let's begin!"

Match #3: Alison Corino vs. Officer Karen Mercy

Mercy charged straight at Corino, tackling her down and pinning her on her face. She tried to use a chickenwing, pinning Corino's arms behind her, but Corino threw Mercy off. Corino began to take control, outwrestling Mercy with counter-holds and suplexes. However, Mercy was a tough fighter, constantly squirming during her kickouts and firing back with wear-down holds designed to end the fight quickly.

There was an interesting story being told here, for those who were looking for it. Corino was the trained wrestler, and therefore used wrestling sequences to build to a big finish. Mercy, meanwhile, was decidedly NOT a wrestler (in character -- in reality, she was one of many female trainees of Afa in our promotion). However, her police training meant that she was experienced with ending a fight fast without hurting the opponent. This caused her to use tons of control holds like a chickenwing, shoulder pin, half-nelson, and so on. In addition, because she didn't have the dramatic concept, she fought a lot harder during the two-counts rather than waiting as long as possible like most wrestlers did. Well, that was my explanation. Kinda surprised no one else thought of it.

Now, this inexperience wound up costing Mercy in the long run. She slapped on the half-nelson chickenwing and went to ram Corino into the turnbuckle to stop her momentum, but Corino countered and hit a drop toehold, sending Mercy flying into the middle turnbuckle. With Mercy dazed, Corino picked her up by the hair and pulled her to the top turnbuckle, following her up. She lifted Mercy in the air and delivered a very nice superplex to her -- perhaps the biggest high-risk move we'd seen so far in 3-W. The three-count was academic, but the match hadn't been.

#3: Alison Corino defeated Officer Karen Mercy with a superplex (6:48).

As Corino left, Mercy got up, disappointed and near tears. I entered the ring. "What's wrong, Ma'am?"

"I failed. I was supposed to punish her, but... I'm gonna get fired for this."

"Hey... it's all right. You did your best. Didn't she, folks?" I led them in applause. "Not only that, but trust me on this one -- you wanna come back and be a member of the 3-W roll call of superstars, and I'll vouch for you any time, anywhere."

Mercy looked at me. "Me? A wrestler? Well, I... I guess it was kinda fun... I'll see what happens. Thanks." She hugged me before walking off, taking her items with her and returning to patrolling the aisle. As she left, I stuck around to introduce the next match.

Match #4: Erica Porter vs. Mary Apache

Porter came out to the old Superfly theme of the WWF, which made sense given her past as Jungle Grrl in the eminently forgettable WOW promotion. This contrasted nicely with the mariachi music ("The Lonely Bull" by the Tijuana Brass) used for Mary Apache as she made her entrance. The two ladies circled each other as the match began.

Right from the start, both women wrestled a slow, basic match, building tempo quite nicely. Well, I thought it was nice, anyway. It's entirely possible that my standards have been lowered after working with these ladies for so long. Anyway, the first few minutes were slow body work by both women. They were building to disabling each other's pars that were used for their finishers. Apache worked the leg, which would hinder the leap Porter could get on her Superfly Splash finisher. Porter, meanwhile, worked the arm, hoping to neutralize the strength needed for the Michinoku Driver.

Soon, though, Porter became frustrated by these tactics and switched it up. She pounded on Apache, throwing her around the ring and attempting to bully her. However, Apache was ready and fought back, tossing Porter from the ring and diving onto her as the crowd sensed the match was picking up. Back in the ring, though, Porter went low, fouling Apache before clubbing her down. Slams followed as she set up for the big fly, but as was expected, the legwork did its damage. Porter's leap ended up short, and Apache rolled away.

Apache fired herself up before delivering chops and punches to Porter... that had very little effect. The arm work neutralized the power she may have had. With both women now at a disadvantage, it became a contest to see who had a secondary plan. The answer: both! Porter was still the stronger of the two and used suplexes to try to slow down Apache, but when she went for too many, Apache fired back with cradles and ranas to keep her off-balance. The end result of all this was an astounding pinfall-reversal sequence, as both women scored five two-counts...

...before the bell rang anyway.

#4: Erica Porter and Mary Apache wrestled to a time-limit draw (15:00).

Both women were exhausted, but both left to huge ovations. As we went to an intermission, I vowed that both would be back sooner rather than later.

*****

Hour #2

I brought the audience's attention back to the center of the ring, letting them know that in this hour, we would have our main event of Ronnie Stevens and Sumie Sakai, as well as the Poubelle Twins facing Team AJW and, most importantly, the announcement concerning the 3-W World Title tournament and how it would be decided! With that, the next match was ready to begin.

Match #5: Ivy Rodriguez vs. Sakura Hirota

Ivy was another Puerto Rican-trained female wrestler I picked up through Stacy's contacts. She was mainly here to help get Sakura over. "Wanna Rock" hit as Sakura came out, generally rocking out to her own music and playing it up with the fans. As she entered the ring, though, Ivy was rolling her eyes and staring at her with disdain.

Ivy: "What's with you? I'm here to prove I belong in women's wrestling, and I have to do it with you? I mean, c'mon! I saw your last match. You were mocking people, slapping them around, pretending to be hurt... you care more about the fans than you do about your craft. You disgust me, girl. You're nothing but a sideshow act, and you don't belong here. No, no, you're not a sideshow act. Sideshows have some dignity."

Ivy leaned closer and spoke deliberately so that Sakura could understand.

Ivy: "You. Are. A. Joke."

Sakura's eyes widened and she became fired up upon hearing this. She went right at Ivy with reckless abandon, absolutely tearing into her with high-impact offense. Ivy, for her part, was able to keep up, and for the next few minutes, they went all-out, packing as much into the time they had as humanly possible. The crowd was constantly oohing and ahhing at both of them as they exchanged counters and kept up the pace throughout the match. It was a short match, but it didn't seem that way.

Ivy picked Sakura up near the finish and threw her into the turnbuckle. She tried a charge, but missed, and Sakura did the Jack Brisco rollup for two. Sakura and Ivy charged, and Ivy switched around and got a German suplex before going up top. Sakura got up slowly and found herself on the receiving end of a diving clothesline, which netted another two-count. Ivy sent Sakura hard into the turnbuckle and followed in with a clothesline this time before setting her on the top rope. Ivy went up to follow, but Sakura was there and shoved her off with all her might as Ivy flew across the ring. Ivy stood up as Sakura dived, connecting with a beautiful missile dropkick right between the eyes. Ivy was out of gas, so Sakura covered and got the three in an amazingly fast-paced match -- perhaps the best in 3-W history.

#5: Sakura Hirota defeated Ivy Rodriguez with a missile dropkick (7:03).

Armstrong raised Sakura's arm in victory as she celebrated. Then, to the surprise of everyone, Sakura turned around and planted one right on the kisser of Armstrong. Sakura waved and left the ring as Armstrong tried to wipe the taste out of her mouth.

As I looked over my notes for the tournament, I felt a sense of dread in announcing it. I didn't want to be the face of 3-W -- in fact, my original idea was to have So Cal Val come in and act as the commissioner of 3-W, just as they had her doing in PWG. But she wouldn't do it, and neither would anyone else, so I was stuck with the job. At least I could build up to it, though. Now wasn't the time for the announcement. We had a big debut next.

Match #6: Demonica vs. Valentina

Valentina was someone who was being talked about up and down as one of the future stars of women's wrestling. Whatever, I didn't see it. Against resident jobber Demonica, she failed to impress me in her short stint. The match ended with her finisher, the Tornado DDT, but I wasn't sure whether she'd pan out. Maybe it was the lack of competition. After all, Alere didn't look much better against Demonica last month...

#6: Valentina defeated Demonica with the Tornado DDT (5:33)

No nonsense from us right now. This was a big show, and it was going to be match, match, match now. But first, the All Japan team came out and showed through their actions that they had mutual respect after their tough encounter from the previous week. They even had some heat thanks to the match. I mean, some.

Match #7: Rie Tamada and Tomoko Watanabe vs. Bibi and Fifi Poubelle

The twins attempted to double-team Tomoko to start the match, but Rie prevented it and the Japanese imports began clearing the ring. As Fifi went to the outside, Rie followed and pounded into her with strong chops to the body. Meanwhile, Tomoko and Bibi exchanged blows in the ring, and one guess who came out the better in that exchange. Not the girl in the maid's outfit. However, Fifi was able to escape by suckering Rie into the post before entering and helping her sister out.

After some decent double-teams, Tomoko escaped containment long enough to tag Rie, but she didn't. Instead, she stood up and fought back, egging the twins to attack her and making her own comeback. It backfired when she went for a 1-on-2 suplex, which the twins reversed. Back to the heat it was, but this time, the fans waited patiently for the big comeback. Not this time, as Tomoko was beat up and needed out. Fortunately, the heels collided, and Rie got the tag.

Strong shots to both twins reeled them as Rie was in total control. She managed to knock Fifi out of the ring and brought Tomoko back in. The duo hit an amazing combination: Rie whipped Bibi into the turnbuckle as Tomoko built up steam; Tomoko avalanched Bibi in the corner; Bibi staggered out straight into a Greco-Roman throw from Rie; Tomoko went up top and dropped the big leg from the turnbuckle. They did this so quickly that Tomoko was in the air as Rie rolled away! But Tanya Armstrong was again pre-occupied with clearing the ring, meaning she never saw Fifi enter and reverse the pile, holding Tomoko's leg down on the outside. Once again, the Poubelles had stolen one and Tomoko had been denied by a whisker.

#7: The Poubelle Twins defeated Rie Tamada and Tomoko Watanabe when Bibi pinned Tomoko due to rampant cheating (13:07).

Match #8: Kim "Desire" Neilson vs. The 21st Century Fox

Wow, listen to the crowd go wild for Neilson. If it weren't for her back problems that came about as a result of some medical procedure gone wrong, I'd put the title on her yesterday. The problem is, she keeps telling me her back is already screwed up (70% at best) and the surgery is very risky. But she wants to do this, and I'm personally not one to say no. It's good for business, and she's insanely over.

Okay, I won't lie to you: this match is a squash. The point of this match is to have everyone run in at the end of it. So after Desire finishes Fox off with her Desire Dive, Ronnie Stevens and Alison Corino dash in. Rie Tamada and Tomoko Watanabe follow, but they are fighting their own battle and don't help one side or the other. Sakura Hirota finally makes the save and everyone faces off.

#8: Kim "Desire" Neilson defeated the 21st Century Fox with the Desire Dive (2:32).

As everyone squared off, I pretended to receive a signal in my headset on commentary. I then jumped into the ring with a piece of paper.

"Ladies, please! I'm glad you're all here, because the Board asked me to tell as many people as possible about this at once and I just got the signal that the time is now. Let me go over for all of you the format for next month's 3-W World Title tournament!"

The crowd cheered.

"The tournament will be at our next event, Queens, held on April 17. Twelve women will be invited to compete. The format will be the same as that of CZW's Best of the Best tournament. The field will be divided into four pools of three. Each pool will have a triple threat match to open in which the winner doesn't matter -- only the loser, for she is eliminated. After all four pools have thus been completed, the two remaining women will re-enter and have a quarterfinal match. The four winners will advance to the semifinals, and the two winners of those matches will compete. The reward for surviving four matches without defeat shall be the 3-W World Championship!

Now, the 10 women who lose prior to the final will compete in a battle royal for the #1 Contendership belt. This belt will be defended much like the World title belt with one big exception: if someone records 3 consecutive victories in title matches -- meaning the initial win and 2 defenses -- they will receive a shot at the 3-W title on the next show, GUARANTEED!

Oh, ladies... one more thing. You all see that curtain over by the sideline there? Well, behind that curtain lies the match type for the tournament final. At the end of tonight's main event, we shall pull back the curtain and reveal to all of you what that match shall be. I don't know what it is; none of you know what it is. We'll all be ready together. But now, I want this ring cleared of everyone but you, Ronnie. We have a main event!"

Main Event: Ronnie Stevens vs. Sumie Sakai

Sumie wrestled a patient match, with both of them working a slow main event style. On commentary, I made it clear that the winner would have a strong psychological edge entering the tournament and would have to be the odds-on favorite. Sakai used her martial arts to maintain a strong position over Stevens, who quickly bailed to the floor upon seeing she was being dominated. The stalling from Stevens was effective, as the crowd booed every time she rolled out -- which was whenever she sensed she didn't have momentum.

Sakai soon grew weary of this. When Stevens tried it one time too many, Sakai yanked her by the hair back into the ring, drawing a warning from Tanya Armstrong. As Armstrong cautioned Sakai, Stevens came up from behind and knocked her over. Stevens began to work on Sakai, pounding her between the shoulder blades and giving her a series of suplexes. Sakai kept thrusting the shoulder up at two, though.

A frustrated Stevens played the heavy in the match, but even the slams didn't put her opponent away. Stevens began yelling at Armstrong, asking if she (Armstrong) knew who she (Stevens) was. Sakai was too tired to take advantage, though, and Stevens kept applying the pressure.

But the fans knew that Stevens was so ticked off she would make a mistake. It was just a matter of time. So it came as no surprise when Stevens threw Sakai into the corner and charged in. She forgot about Sakai's judo background, and that a lot of judo is using your opponent's energy to hurt her. Sakai ducked and caught Stevens's legs, falling backwards and flapjacking Stevens straight into the top turnbuckle for the Double KO.

With both women extremely tired, Sakai worked on the advantage, getting armdrags when Stevens charged and a backfist when Stevens tried to spin her around. It seemed to be over as Sakai took the bow and stepped back, ready to land a superkick to Stevens. It never hit her -- instead, Armstrong took the shot and fell flat on her back, out like a light.

Sakai looked at what happened and tried to apologize to Armstrong, while Stevens began to wave to the back. Out came... no, not Alison Corino, but the woman I identified on commentary as Ronnie's little sister Lily Stevens (in reality, Luscious Lily under a different name). Lily climbed straight to the top rope and dove off, hitting a Rocker Dropper on the bent-over, concerned Sakai. Lily quickly left the ring as Ronnie rolled Sakai over. She helped Armstrong up and nonchalantly covered. Armstrong, dazed, counted the three.

Main: Ronnie Stevens defeated Sumie Sakai by pinfall (14:59).

Upon hearing the time announced, the audience groaned. Not only had Sakai been robbed, but she was robbed with 1 second to spare. Of course, that was the plan -- the actual match went about 15:22 or so. But the night wasn't over.

As Sakai stood up, the Stevenses began pounding on her, hoping to incapacitate one of the favorites for the 3-W title. But Desire had other plans. She raced out from the back...

...and stopped right by the curtain. Something caught her eye. She looked back and smiled. She went behind the curtain, moved to wherever whatever it was was, grabbed it, and re-emerged. Now she was charging the ring, but this time, a ladder was in her hands.

Desire got in the ring and smacked both Stevens girls with the ladder as Sakai got up. The faces cleared the ring long enough for Alison Corino, Rie Tamada, Tomoko Watanabe, and Amber O'Neal to get involved. They tried to hold back the Stevens girls and/or get in the ring (in Corino's case), but the ladder and Sakai's diligence cut them off. Then, the two women set the ladder up in the ring. Neilson climbed it, faced the mob on the outside, and nailed them all with the Desire Dive! The crowd went insane as "Desire" played and Sakai helped Neilson up. The two stood alone in the ring, much like last month.

*****

Another show, another $7000 or so lost. The good news was that next month we would be working with maybe half a roster, so there wouldn't be the issue as to whether we could make payroll. It would help cut our losses and make sure each person in the event was someone the crowd wanted. The booking might have been a little strange, but I'd burn that bridge when I came to it. Right now, it was time to see what, if anything, we got at the gate.

*****

3-W MADNESS!

March 13, 2005 - Alexandria, VA

Attendance: 1060 paid